AGRICULTURE

FARM STRUCTURES Farm structures are physical constructions put up on the farm to facilitate the production process. Examples of farm structures include;  Buildings;(stores, offices, animal houses).  Water storage structures (dams, boreholes, tanks and reservoirs)  Fences (barbed wire fence, plain wire, wooven wire fence, electric fence, trench fence and live fence)  Animal handling structures (spay races, cattle dips, crushes). FENCES: A fence is a barrier made out of some wood, metal stakes, nails or wires and living plants for the purpose of keeping animals from straying or keeping intruders out of the farm. IMPORTANCE OF FENCES ON THE FARM • Fences provide privacy and security to the farm i.e. keep out trespassers and thieves. • Fences help to demarcate the farm boundaries hence avoiding land disputes with neighbours. • Fences can facilitate rotational grazing on the farm by dividing the farm into paddocks. • Fences are used in controlling breeding by reducing inbreeding and random mating as males can be kept away from the females. • Fences make it easier to practice mixed farming by protecting crops from animals. • Double fencing is very effective in controlling ticks and other internal worms on the farm. • Live fences can act as wind breaks hence controlling wind erosion and destruction of farm structures. • A network of fences add beauty to the farm. • Fences can increase the value of the farm since they are assets. • Fences make it easier to regulate the water supply by distributing water troughs in the various paddocks. • Fences reduce the labour requirement as animals can be left to graze on their own. FACTORS THAT MAY DETERMINE THE TYPE OF FENCE TO BE USED: • Availability of capital; with enough capital, fences like electric fences can be used. • Topography; hilly areas may not favour trench and concrete fences since they can be damaged. • Animals to be confined; small livestock such as goats, sheep and poultry can be confined in woven fence but not on barbed wire. • Fences enable grouping of animals according to their age, making feeding easier or confines livestock in paddocks. • Skills of the farmer; highly sophisticated fences like electric fence can only be handled by skilled people. • Farmers’ interest; some fences may be highly preferred by the farmer hence used on the farm. • Maintenance costs; fence with high maintenance cost are least preferred by the farmers. TYPES OF FENCES: LIVE FENCE; this is made of living plants, trees and shrubs planted in rows to form a hedge that is thick enough to prevent penetration by animals or intruders. The common shrubs used in making live fences are; Kei apple, sisal, tick berry milk plants euphorbia spp etc. ADVANTAGES OF LIVE FENCES: • Planting materials can be obtained locally hence cheap. • Little maintenance is needed once plants have established. • When they are mature they help to conserve soil and water by acting as wind breaks. • Thorny species like Kei apple, sisal effectively discourage intruders and trespassers. • Live fences can last for a long period of time if well managed. • If well planted and managed live fences can give a pleasant look of the farm. • The pruned branches and leaves can provide supplementary source of food to animals. DISADVANTAGES OF LIVE FENCES: • Live fences may take many years to grow and make an effective fence. • The growth of live fences may be irregular leaving some gaps which appear only later to allow both animals, thieves and intruders to pass through easily. • Hedges without thorns create good hiding places for thieves, wild animals and vermin. • Hedges require regular treaming and gap filling which is both labourious and expensive. • Hedges may compete with crops for nutrients. • Some hedge plants are poisonous to animals. • Some hedges harbour pests that attack both animals and crops. • Live fences can not be used effectively to sub divide land into paddocks for grazing. • Some varieties of hedges like Kei apple may be dangerous to farm animals, man and his transport systems like bicycles. HOW TO ESTABLISH A HEDGE (LIVE FENCE): • Select a desirable plant species and obtain the planting seeds. They should be free from pests, diseases and viable. • Clear the area and dig out any perennial weeds within the reach of one meter. • Make planting holes large enough and in straight lines depending on the land boundaries. • Sow the seeds in the holes and cover with top soil mixed with manure. • Keep watering the seeds until they have germinated. • Carry out gap filling and thinning after germination of seedlings. • Control weeds frequently to reduce weed competition with seedlings for growth factors. • Control pests and diseases to enable the hedge to grow vigorously. • Pruning should start at an early stage to encourage lateral growth which helps to remove all gaps in the fence. MANAGEMENT OF ALREADY ESTABLISHED HEDGE: • Regular pruning to control height and to allow lateral branches. • Regular spraying with pesticides and fungicides to control pests and diseases which affect the growth of the hedge. • Gap filling by re-planting with new plants. • Regular weeding to reduce competition for growth factors and to encourage vigorous growth. • Control of fire destruction by clearing the vegetation around the hedge one meter (1m) wide. • Pass 2 to 3 strands of barbed wire in non-thorn hedges to discourage the attempts by the animals to break through. BARBED WIRE AND POST FENCES: This is made up of barbed wires tightly stretched and supported upright on posts that are well set on the ground. The wire is fixed onto poles by means of staples which are U-shaped. The commonly used posts are made of wood, metal and concrete. The wire is tightened using a wire strainer. EQUIPMENTS FOR A BARBED WIRE FENCE;  Posts; wood, metal or concrete.  Wire; barbed wire or plain wire.  Staple nails or U-nails.  Wire strainer.  Hammer, hand saw, measuring tape and a pair of pliers. STRAINER/CORNER POST; this is the biggest of all the posts. It is normally fixed at the corners and gates. Strainers are always braced with struts to resist the strain of the pull of wires. STANDARD OR ORDINARY POST; this is a medium post used everywhere to hold the wire except at the corners and gates. Standards experience less strain since the wire pulls them in both directions. DROPPER; this is long thin piece of wood which are usually woven upright between the posts. Droppers reduce wire sag and discourage any animal that may try to push itself through the fence. STRUT; this is a post fixed on the corner post and into the ground to support the corner post. BRACE POST; this is the first post after the corner post. PROCEDURE OF CONSTRUCTING A BARBED WIRE FENCE: • Determine the area on the ground where the fence line is to pass. • Clear the land where the fence line is to pass to a width of about two meters to allow ample working space and ensure it is right land to be fenced. • Locate the corners where the corner posts are to be fixed. • Dig holes at the corners and along the corners using a straight line. • Fix the corner posts. • Using the recommended spacing, mark out the sites where the holes for gate posts, foot path should be fixed. • Nail struts to the corner posts and gate posts. • Fix standards. • Fix the wire starting from the lower one, the number of strands will depend on the docility of the animals to be contained. • Droppers are then fitted in between the standard posts. ADVANTAGES OF WIRE FENCE: • The fence is less attacked by termites and fire. • The fence can last for long especially if wooden posts are treated or if the posts are metal or concrete. • Wire fences do not compete with crops for growth requirements as in live tree fencing. • Wire fences do not become hosts for pests and diseases. • Wire fences can be established easily/quickly. DISADVANTAGES OF WIRE FENCE: • It is easy to establish. • Requires skill to establish it. • Barbed wire can damage the hides and skins of animals. CALCULATIONS INVOLVING FENCES Teso College Aloet school farm has a rectangular piece of land measuring 1500 meters by 600 meters around which a four-strand perimeter barbed wire fence is to be constructed. Given that the length of the barbed wire roll is 600 meters and the spacing between the fence posts is 5 meters and no gate should be provided, calculate; 1. The number of fence posts required to fence the farm. Solution; Establish first the perimeter of the farm land. Perimeter = 2 (length + width) P = 2(1500 +600) = 3000 + 1200 =4200m But, the spacing between the poles is 5 meters, Therefore, the number of poles = perimeter of the land Spacing between posts No. of poles = 4200 + 1 5 = 841 poles 2. The number of rolls of wire required to fence the farm land. Solution; No. of rolls = perimeter of farm land x No. of strands Size of the roll of wire. = 4200 x 4 = 16800 600 600 = 28 rolls of wire 3. The number of staples required to fence the farm land. Solution; No. of staples = No of poles x No of strands = 841 x 4 = 3364 staples 4. If the cost of one roll of barbed wire is 60,000 shs. Calculate the total cost on barbed wire. Solution; Total cost of barbed wire = No. of rolls x cost of rolls = 28 x 60000 Total cost of barbed wire = 1,680,000= ELECTRIC FENCES: These are movable fences made of posts, insulators, fencing wire and a 6 Volt battery or source of electricity. When in operation, any animal that touches the fence gets a shock though not enough to harm it. ADVANTAGES OF ELECTRIC FENCE: • It is suitable of strip grazing. • Can easily be relocated to another area. • It is very effective in protecting crops from big wild animals. • Reduces labour requirement. DISADVANTAGES OF ELECTRIC FENCE: • It is very expensive to establish/maintain. • Requires reliable power source. • Unapproved electric controller units can be dangerous. • It requires skills to install. • Continuous shocks frighten the animals reducing their productivity. TOPIC: ANIMAL HANDLING LAYOUTS These are structures used when handling farm animals for specif